The Stones of the Samurai
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows Fishing for a Day. The Rangers found a mysterious blue Stone that responds to Kevin's touch. After getting home they learn there are four other stones just like it that need to be found in order for the Black Box to work. Will they find them all?
1. Finding the Stones

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything_

* * *

><p>Mia laid out a book on the table, a huge grin on her face as she pointed to the page on the left side of the book. She and the Rangers had been studying all the books and scrolls Mentor Ji owned, trying to figure out if the rock they found in the boot from the river had anything to do with the Samurai and the Nighlok.<p>

"I knew this looked familiar," she smiled. "I came across it when I was studying Dayu."

"What is it exactly?" Antonio asked. He was holding the stone in his hand, trying to get a closer look at it while the Rangers did all the studying. Mia spun the book back around so she could read it.

"One of the five Stones of the Samurai," she told the Rangers. "The first few generations of Samurai used to carry these, along with the folding Zords and the Samuraizers. Apparently, the stones were thought to increase the power of the Samurai of the same element. The one we found in the river seems to be the Water Stone."

"That would explain why Kevin can turn it on," Mike said. He leaned forward and looked at the book, "So, there are five of these, then? Where are the others?"

"The book doesn't say," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "It just says something about the Samurai needing to hide the Stones."

"So, does this thing make Kevin stronger?" Emily asked. She crossed her arms over her chest, "That's not fair! He's strong enough."

"It bonds the Samurai and the folding Zord to their element," Mia read from the book. "That's all it says. Apparently no one's ever understood the power of the Stones and that's why they needed to be hidden away. The Samurai Rangers were afraid of the power contained inside the stones and how the Nighlok would use them if they got their hands on it."

"Aren't treasures like this usually hidden at the Tengen Gate?" Mike asked, turning his attention to Jayden. "Why would Kevin's stone in our local river?"

"More importantly, how did it get there?" Jayden nodded his head showing he was just as concerned as Mike. He was going to turn to Emily to ask her to get Serena on the phone, but the yellow Ranger was one step ahead of him.

Or so he hoped.

Emily blew a raspberry at her cell phone, "You sleep too much anyways. This is important. Get up, get up, get up!"

"Wow, Emily the alarm clock has gone international now," Mia chuckled. "Is that Serena, Em?"

Emily nodded her head while continuing her conversation with her sister. "Are you up? Are you up? Are you… good. Now I need you to look for a rock for me… No, a special rock. Do you know anything about the Stones of the Samurai? … Then look it up! We think you might be guarding four out of five at the Tengen Gate."

When Emily was finished with her call to her sister she hung up the phone and turned to her friends, "Serena's going to look around. She'll see what she can find and she'll tell us ASAP."

"While we're waiting for Serena, is there anything else know about the other rocks?" Jayden asked, turning his attention to Mia. The pink Ranger looked up from the book in her hands. There wasn't much information on the stones, but she was hoping something would pop out at her the more she read it.

Mia shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing that isn't obvious. Water, earth, wind, forest and fire: those are the five Stones of the Samurai. If they are being kept at the gate, we should send the Water Stone back. If not…"

"We should probably find the others," Kevin finished for his fiancée. "If the past Samurai hid these because they were afraid of the power inside then we've got to make sure no one else finds these by accident."

"Especially Master Xandred," Mike nodded his head. "But so far… I mean, the rock makes ocean noises. What is it going to do? Sooth Master Xandred or us into a deep sleep?"

"It's got to do something more," Kevin said and he took the rock from Antonio. "There's a reason it's here."

"Yeah, it charges you five up," Antonio said. "Master Xandred would kill to get his hands on these, even if it's just to keep you guys from getting more power."

"Which means we have to make sure he doesn't find out about these," Jayden let out a deep sigh. "If he does…"

Jayden was interrupted when Emily squealed and jumped out of her seat. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she hadn't been expecting it to ring so soon. She quickly pulled it out and answered her phone.

"What did you find?" she asked while setting her phone onto speakerphone so everyone could join in on the conversation.

"All I found was a scroll," Serena said. "It doesn't say much, but the Stones aren't hidden here. They couldn't be kept together. If a Nighlok came and destroyed the Gate, he would have easy access to all five Stones."

"Are you sure they aren't there?" Jayden asked.

"Positive."

"The scroll wouldn't happen to say anything about what the purpose of the Stones was?" Mia figured it was worth a shot asking. The worst answer she could get was a no. Any information, good or bad, would be useful at this point.

"Like I said, it doesn't say much. The Stones were first created by the original red Ranger way back when he started working on a special project. He thought they would be able help him create some kind of super weapon, but he couldn't get his project up and running. Generations of red Rangers continued to work on the project while the Samurai tried to keep their respective Stones safe. When it was clear the super weapon would never see the light of day, it was left here at the Gate."

"Sounds a lot like the Black Box," Emily pointed out.

"But what about the Stones?" Mike asked. "There's got to be something on the Stones."

"They were deemed too powerful to keep together. If the Nighlok got their hands on all five of them all hell would break loose… literally," Serena answered. "The last Rangers to have the Stones hid them away, hoping no one would ever find them."

"We need to find those Stones," Antonio said. All eyes turned to him curiously.

"What? Didn't you hear Serena?" Kevin asked. "The Stones are powerful. If we bring them all together and a Nighlok…"

"They're connected to the Black Box," Antonio smirked, pulling the Box out from him pocket. "How many other super weapons could there be? The red Ranger couldn't use them with the Box because he was never able to complete it. He never got as far as I did."

"Do you think that's the missing piece?" Jayden asked his best friend. "If we find the Stones…"

"All the Zords are programmed," Antonio nodded. "Every one of your symbol power is inside that box. The only problem I'm having now is getting it all to work together. Mia, you said the Stones connected the Samurai and the Folding Zords to their element. In other words, your symbol power, right?"

Mia glanced down at her book, "Yeah."

"Well…" Antonio smiled as he glanced quickly at each of the Rangers, "this is it, baby! We get the Stones, programme the Box, bing, bang, boom, we've got the most powerful weapon on the face of the planet at our disposal!"

"We're not going deep-sea diving for a treasure that'll possess me again, are we?" Emily asked.

"We already have the Water Stone," Mia chuckled as she placed a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder. "I think diving is out of the question."

"However, a little flying might be in order," Kevin smirked at his fiancé. "We found my stone in my element. Where do you think we'll find the others?"

"No way am I getting on an airplane," Emily shook her head. "Sorry, Mia, you're on your own."

"You guys aren't planning on searching the entire planet for four other stones that could very well be hidden anywhere, are you?" Serena asked. "The Stones were hidden centuries ago! It's sheer luck you found whatever Stone you found!"

"We need them for the Black Box, Serena," Antonio said.

"You still haven't programmed that thing?" Serena sighed. There was shuffling in the background before Serena's voice came back, "Alright, I've found something else."

"That was fast."

"There's not much to do here. I've learned my way around. Anyways, the old folding Zords should be able to sense their respective Stones. It's not much to go off of, but at least you'll know when you're near."

"The problem is: where do we start looking?" Mike asked. "A lot can happen in centuries. I mean, Kevin's Stone wound up in a stream just outside our house. That's probably as lucky as we're going to get."

"Don't worry about searching Japan," Serena assured the Rangers. "Dekker and I will keep our eyes peeled. If we find anything mysterious we'll check it out and get it right to you."

"Dekker and you?" Emily wrinkled her nose.

"Get used to it, Emy," Serena chuckled. "Hopefully the Stones stuck to their elements."

"If we see a rock floating in midair, that's mine," Mia sighed. "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be hard?"

"Just keep Master Xandred and the Nighlok off your trail and you should be fine."

"We'll search for one Stone at a time," Jayden instructed. "Who knows what'll happen. Only two people will leave the house at once to search for the Stone. Mia, we'll look for yours first."

"I'll go with you," Kevin smiled to his fiancée. "We've got mine so I'll have nothing else to do."

"Great, we're looking for a rock that loves the wind and air," Mia grumbled. "This should be fun…"

"At least you're not going to be searching for a stone on the ground…" Emily muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "If mine looks anything like Kevin's does when I turn it on, it's going to look like dirt. Dirt on the ground…"

"Good luck, guys," Serena wished for the Samurai before she hung up the phone, "Sounds like you're all going to need it."

"I'll get your bags packed," Jayden got up from his seat and started walking to the supply closet.

"I hope you two are ready for a mission," Antonio smirked.

"Keep your turtle Zord with you," Mike suggested as he plucked Mia's folded Zord from its nap on the table and he handed it to the pink Ranger. "With any luck, it'll remember where your ancestor hid the rock."


	2. The Wind Stone

Kevin felt he had been on stupid missions before, but this was starting to get ridiculous. He had no idea where he and Mia were supposed to go, and the turtle Zord just seemed to be flying around in circles, enjoying a walk outside of the Shiba grounds. They hadn't seen any sign of the Wind Stone since they headed out.

"This is stupid," Mia muttered. She was just as frustrated as Kevin at this point. All she wanted was to go home and rest. She didn't care if she had the stone or not. "Why do the red Rangers always have to make things complicated?"

"Life's too easy otherwise?" Kevin suggested with a shrug. "I just wish we hadn't found my stone by accident. I really wish I could help you sense it or… something."

Mia nodded her head but turned to the turtle Zord, "You have no idea where it is, do you?"

The turtle Zord squealed and soared upwards. Mia looked up to the sky, hoping there would be a stone floating right over her head. She was sadly mistaken. There was nothing but sky above her. She looked back down and locked eyes with Kevin.

"This sucks."

"I'll say," he pulled out his Samuraizer from his pocket, "Any information, guys?"

"Nothing, sorry," came Antonio's reply. "Keep looking. The Black Box needs all five stones."

"Until we find out more about the Stones' hiding places, trust your instincts. Our ancestors hid them so we should be able to find them," Jayden added.

"My instincts are telling me to go home and have a hot bath," Mia muttered. "In case you all forgot, if my Stone likes the air and wind, it could be anywhere on the planet. It could be over the ocean for all we know."

"Keep looking, Mia," Emily said. "Apparently Mentor Ji's got a friend who does relic hunting for a living. If the Stone is anywhere on Earth, we'll find it."

"Mentor's got a lot of friends," Kevin sighed before pointing to a trail that led up a mountain. "Why don't we try getting off ground level for a little bit? If the Stone prefers the sky we might have a better chance in the air. If it's on the ground, we'll have a better view of our surroundings."

Mia smiled and nodded her head, "Good idea."

They set off down the path, keeping their eyes peeled for anything suspicious. A hole in the mountain or an old run down structure of any kind was worth examining.

"At least we know one thing for sure about this Stone," Kevin smirked. "It'll be a pink. I don't know about you, but I don't see many pink Stones lying around.

"It'll stand out, all right," Mia nodded her head. The turtle Zord, tired of flying around freely, landed on her shoulder and folded itself up. She took her Zord in her hand so she wouldn't lose it, "But that doesn't seem to make it easier to find."

"Maybe we should try fishing again?" Kevin suggested. "Your Stone could be in an old boot like mine."

"At least we're not diving underwater again," Mia said. "That's an experience I don't ever want to repeat. I don't care how much gold or hidden treasures are down there. They can stay there."

"You would make a horrible pirate," Kevin chuckled. He stopped when the trail came to an end but that wasn't going to be the end of his or Mia's journey's. He looked at the rock wall and saw it was just rocky and solid enough for him and Mia to climb up to the ledge a couple of meters up. He turned to his fiancée with a smile and gestured to the wall. "Can you climb?"

"We'll see," Mia said. Kevin let her go up first, this way he could catch her if she lost her grip and fell. The climb wouldn't be too high, but neither of them could risk getting hurt.

Halfway up they both heard a beeping coming from their pockets. Mia stopped and looked down at Kevin. He signalled for her to continue climbing while he locked himself into position, made sure his footing was solid, and then, with one hand, he reached for his Samuraizer.

"Uh, guys…"

"Keep looking," Jayden instructed. "It's just one Nighlok and a few Moogers. The four of us should be able to handle it."

"Call if you need us," Kevin tucked his Samuraizer away safely and grabbed onto the rock wall. He needed to reposition himself before he could continue to climb up. He glanced up at the ledge and saw Mia was pulling herself over.

"Look around;" he told her, "I'm right behind you."

He climbed his way to the top and was about to pull himself up when the rock he had his right foot on suddenly gave out and fell from under him. Kevin slipped and knew he was about to fall, but before he could even think of screaming he felt someone grabbing his hand. He smiled up at Mia as she helped him up to the ledge.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Mia said. "It almost happened to me."

The two got to their feet and had a look around. The ledge didn't lead to any interesting paths. It barely went anywhere, but there was a fissure in the side of the mountain that was worth examining.

"Hopefully Jayden packed a flashlight," Kevin muttered as Mia slipped her way into the crack and found herself in a cave inside the mountain. Kevin was right behind her. While Mia looked around in awe, Kevin searched his bag for a flashlight. He dug one out, thankful Jayden had thought of it. When he turned it on, he scared a cloud of bats, causing them to screech and fly further into the cave.

Mia shot Kevin an angry look once her heartbeat began to slow back to a regular pace.

"Good job."

"Sorry," Kevin chuckled, "but this is a good thing. They came from somewhere. We should follow them."

The cave was dark, even with the beam from Kevin's flashlight, and it was strangely quiet. Drop of water falling from the top of the cave echoed, but there was nothing more than that. Mia was very careful to watch her step, unsure of where she was stepping and if the ground was even solid.

"Careful," Kevin told her and she saw him holding out his hand for her to take. She grabbed it and he led her around a spot on the floor. Mia didn't know why, but if Kevin didn't want her stepping on it, he must have had a reason. She wouldn't question it.

"If we don't find my Stone, there better be something valuable at the end of this hike," she said. "Gold, jewel, I don't care."

"If we find something valuable we can sell it and get some money for the wedding," Kevin smirked, casting a quick glance at Mia. She smiled back.

"Mentor would have to let us sell it," she chuckled, "but it's a nice thought."

"Speaking of weddings, any ideas for ours?" Kevin asked, stopping Mia dead in her tracks. He turned to look at her and saw she was staring at him. When she rolled her eyes he chuckled, "Right, never mind."

"For a minute there I thought you didn't know me," Mia laughed. "I've always dreamed of a small wedding."

"A small wedding?"

Mia nodded her head, "Yeah. Close friends and family. People I know and people who actually care about me. I've already got enough money saved up for something small."

"You have enough money for a wedding already?"

"I worked like all teenagers, but grandma and I knew I wouldn't have time for college with my Samurai duties. Instead, we decided the money I earned would one day be used for my dream wedding."

"Well, that's one thing covered then," Kevin said. "I've got some money saved up as well. It's got nowhere to go. We may as well use it."

"It's probably a silly question, but have you ever thought of your wedding?"

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "It's never really crossed my mind. I think I like the idea of a small wedding, though. My parents, the Rangers, your family… oh…"

"What?"

"I… sorry."

"For what?"

Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "You probably don't want your parents at your wedding, do you?"

Mia nodded her head, "Kev, they're my parents. If they can make it, I want them there."

"Makes sense," Kevin said. "How's it going to work now though; with your dad across the country with his new girlfriend?"

"I guess I'll send him an invite with a plus one and we'll see what happens," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "I hope he'll be able to make it. You know I don't hate him but… I didn't see him off..."

"He's your dad. I'm sure he'll do everything he can to make it. And if it's the cost of flying back here for a wedding I'm sure we'll find some way to get the money. If you want him there, he'll be there, I promise."

"Thanks, Kevin," Mia leaned forward and gave her fiancé a peck on the cheek. Kevin smiled back at her and took her hand again.

"Just one question: are he and your mom civil around each other?"

"As far as I know, yeah," Mia nodded her head. "I'm sure we won't have to worry about them."

"Good," Kevin pointed the flashlight far ahead so he knew what he and Mia were going to walk into. It didn't seem like they were anywhere near an exit but he felt like he was walking uphill slightly. If the Wind Stone was hiding somewhere in the skies it wouldn't hurt to go up as high as possible.

He spotted a puddle of water and guided Mia around it. He wasn't sure how deep the puddle was and he didn't want to test it by twisting an ankle. The more cautious he could be the better.

"Okay," Mia spot after several moments of silence, "I can't stand the quiet. Do you have any ideas for the wedding?"

"Not really," Kevin shrugged. "As long as I'm getting married to you nothing else matters."

"Are you just saying that or do you really mean it?"

"I mean it. I never put much thought into my wedding. Whenever the thought did arise I just imagined standing next to my bride."

"Who do you plan on inviting?"

"My parents, obviously," Kevin chuckled. "A few of the guys from my high school swim team."

"You still talk with them?"

"Before the Samurai business, yeah. We were close. They're probably wondering where I am."

"A lot of people are probably missing us," Mia nodded her head. "My neighbours think I went off to college but they must be wondering why I'm not home with grandma for the summer. We'll have some fast talking to do when we get home."

"Maybe," Kevin said. He spotted a little light coming from the top of the cave and made his way over. He looked up and saw an opening. He knew he and Mia would be able to climb up and get out of the cave, but he wanted to make sure it was worth it. If it was just going to lead to a dead end there was no sense wasting their energy.

He handed the flashlight to Mia and told her he was going to climb to the top to investigate the opening. Mia nodded her head and watched as he climbed the rocks, slowly making his way up.

Her heart stopped when Kevin's foot slipped and a few rocks slid down the side of the wall, but Kevin caught himself before he fell. He looked down and sighed loudly.

"That was close. Where's Emily when you need her, huh?"

"Yeah," Mia nodded, "be careful Kevin. Take your…"

Mia trailed off when she felt her folding Zord moving around in her pocket. She furrowed her brow and watched the little turtle jump out and soar her way to the opening. Kevin watched as well, curious as to where the turtle was going to at this speed. He reached over to the opening and pulled himself up. His eyes widened.

"Uh, Mia… you're going to want to check this out."

"I'll be right up," Mia said. She tucked the flashlight away safely in her pocket and started her climb up. When Kevin could reach her he grabbed her and made sure she wouldn't fall as she climbed up to the opening.

"Careful…" he said, wrapping his arms around her as she got closer to him. When Mia was steady she looked over. Her eyes were just as wide as Kevin's when she saw an old stone temple sitting on the mountain side, protected from the elements and hidden from sight by the mountains around it.

She climbed down from the opening in the cave and when her feet hit the ground she began to approach the temple. There wasn't too much ground to walk on and when Mia looked down she realised just how high up she and Kevin actually were.

"Okay, there's something important there," she glanced over her shoulder at Kevin who was only a few steps behind her. He looked down, over the side of the mountain and gulped.

"If one of us falls, we're screwed."

"Don't fall, then," Mia said. She pressed herself against the side of the mountain so she wouldn't slip off the narrow ground under her feet and pulled out her Samuraizer, "Mentor, we may have found the Wind Stone."

"Good. Did you run into any trouble?"

"None yet," Mia answered. "Kevin scared a few bats, but it's been smooth sailing the entire way."

"And I'd like to keep it that way. Get the stone and hurry back."

"I'd rather not hurry, Mentor," Mia looked over the side of the mountain, "but we'll be home soon."

As Mia tucked her Samuraizer away the turtle Zord whizzed by her head. She was clearly excited about something, allowing Mia to believe they were getting close to the Wind Stone. She inched her way closer to the temple where she was sure the ground wouldn't give out. She made it to the temple and hurried up the stairs. Kevin was far behind her, but she couldn't afford to wait for him.

Kevin had the same idea. He wasn't going to risk making his way over to the temple when Mia was already across. He made his way back to the opening of the cave and waited for her there.

"Do you see anything?" he called out and heard his voice echoing off the other mountains around him.

Inside the temple Mia was surprised to find nothing but a big room with a chest in the middle. The turtle Zord flew over to the chest and danced around it happily. Mia noticed there was no lock and opened the chest.

"Thank goodness," Mia sighed happily when she saw a pink stone sitting in the chest. When she touched it, she saw the inside of the stone began to fog up, as if there were clouds inside. Positive this was what she was looking for, she gripped it tightly and turned back to leave.

As she rushed down the stairs she turned to her turtle Zord, "Do you know how lucky we are to have found this?"

The turtle nodded its head before shooting over to Kevin's side of the mountain and landing in his hand. Kevin saw Mia starting to make her way back and his stomach turned. She made it across safely the first time. He could only hope she could do the same on the way back.

"Careful, Mia," he told her and bit down on his lower lip as he watched her move slowly. Rocks were falling under her feet, but Mia was holding on tight. "C'mon, you're almost there… a few more… MIA!"

Her foot had slipped as the ground gave out from under her. Mia's only saving grace was the fact that she had a firm hold on the rock wall with her hands, keeping her from plummeting to her death. That didn't keep her from hurting herself, though. She could feel the rock digging into her palm as she held on for dear life.

"Hold on!" Kevin told her, throwing off his bag. Mia was too busy hanging on for dear life to respond with a sarcastic comment. She was trying to find a hole in the wall or another rock to set her feet on before her hands slipped.

Kevin searched through the bag in a panic. Surely if Jayden had thought to pack a flashlight he would have packed a rope as well. Sadly, that was the very first thing Jayden thought to pack so the rope was stuffed all the way in the bottom of the bag.

"Mia!" Kevin called for her while tying a loop at one end of the rope, "Catch the rope!"

"With what hands?" Mia snapped.

"Just trust me, Mia," Kevin called before throwing the rope to his fiancée, hoping his shot was accurate. When Mia saw the rope coming for her she let go with one hand to reach for it. Unfortunately, her other hand couldn't hold up all her weight and it slipped off. The last thing Kevin saw before closing his eyes was Mia falling down the side of the mountain.


	3. A Second Adventure Begins

Life without Mia sucked. Kevin figured that out in the first few milliseconds after seeing her plunging to her death. He wanted to jump down after her. A life without Mia wasn't a life worth living, but he didn't have enough time to do so before he felt the rope pulling him clean off his feet and he landed face down in the dirt. He was dragged a few inches before he came to a stop. The rope was heavy in his hands and his first instinct was to let go. Thankfully he was a quick thinker.

"Mia!" he held on tightly to the rope as he crawled to the edge and looked down. To his relief, his fiancée was hanging on the other end of the rope. When she had caught it, the loop Kevin had made at the end of the rope had wrapped itself around her wrist and caught her as she fell, saving her from a long fall to back to the ground.

"Don't you dare let go," Mia muttered through the pain. She couldn't feel her hand beyond where the rope was holding her and her wrist was in searing pain but she knew she was lucky to be alive, even if she had broken something.

"I won't. I promise!" Kevin called as the turtle Zord flew out from his pocket and dove down to Mia. It wormed its way into her pocket and pulled out the Wind Stone.

"Some friend you are," Mia said as she watched the turtle fly back up to safety with the Stone. Kevin told the turtle to set it down on in his sweater pocket. The turtle did as it was told and then dove over the side of the cliff again. This time it hovered over Mia and chirped.

Mia smiled and grabbed the turtle with her hand that wasn't tied to the rope. With all its little strength, the turtle pushed up.

"Kevin!" Mia called up to her fiancé, "Pull!"

Mia had never been in so much pain in her life. When Kevin started pulling on the rope it felt like he was ripping her hand right off her arm. She tried not to scream, hoping she wouldn't startle him into stopping. She would lose both hands if it meant getting back up to safety.

Finally, after what felt like hours she felt Kevin's hands grabbing her arms and pulling her up. She never let go of her turtle Zord as she was lifted to safety and Kevin wrapped her up tightly, holding her close to himself.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked her once the shock started to fade and he knew she was safe in his arms. Mia nodded her head, which was resting against Kevin's chest.

"Considering I'm not dead, I'm great."

Kevin leaned back to have a look at Mia. He saw a little blood between Mia's fingers as she held the turtle Zord and the other hand hung limp. He touched it gently and saw Mia wincing in pain.

"I can't feel either," she muttered.

"Really?"

"Well, I feel pain. Pins and needles mostly…" she uncurled her fingers from around the turtle Zord and saw a gash in the palm of her hand. She was certain it was from when she had been holding onto the rock wall. She winced in pain once again and closed her hand into a fist.

"What about the other one?" Kevin asked her as he reached for the bag. Jayden had packed them a first aid kit. He pulled out the bandages and started wrapping Mia's hand.

"It feels broken. I heard a pop when it got caught in the rope."

"Mentor will tell you what happened," Kevin said. "Just try not to move it, okay?"

"Couldn't if I wanted to," Mia said while Kevin scooped her up in his arms. She looked up at him curiously, "I can walk, you know."

"Not risking it," Kevin smirked. He looked at the turtle Zord, "Get my Samuraizer from my pocket. I don't care how draining this is."

The turtle did as it was told and pulled out Kevin's Samuraizer. She flew it over and placed it into Kevin's hand before folding up and resting on Mia's stomach. Kevin couldn't move his hand or arms much because he was holding Mia, but he managed to trace the symbol for home. In a flash of light, both he and Mia were gone.

-Samurai-

Back at the Shiba House, the four Rangers were just getting home from their fight with the Nighlok when a bright light in the hallways blinded them. They could barely make out the form of the symbol that created the light before Kevin and Mia appeared from thin air and landed in a heap on the floor. All eyes widened as the four Rangers stood in shock for a moment before coming to the aid of their two friends.

"Kevin! Mia!" Emily called their names as she dropped to her knees beside them. Mike and Jayden slowly lifted Kevin off of Mia and helped him walk to the common room. Antonio and Emily stayed with Mia.

"Did you get the Stone?" Antonio asked as he reached for Mia's hand to help her up. He barely touched her before he heard her whimpering in pain. She shook her head.

"I think that one's broken."

Antonio nodded. He would have helped her up using her other hand but he saw it was bandaged. He looked at Emily and she nodded back at him. Together, they lifted Mia up by the arms and walked closely beside her into the common room.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mike asked Mia when he saw her coming in. She nodded her head.

"It's not easy getting home," Mia answered with a quick nod. "A little rest he'll be fine."

"What happened to you?" Emily looked down at Mia's hands. Blood was beginning to stain the bandage wrapped around her right hand while her left hand hung uselessly.

"Let's just say I hope the other Stones aren't as dangerous as the Wind Stone," Mia muttered. Mentor Ji stepped into the room at this moment with a first aid kit already handy. He always had it near him when they Rangers came home from battle. When he saw the state of Mia's hands he walked her out of the room to tend to her.

A weary Kevin reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out a pink rock.

"We got the Stone at least."

Jayden gave his blue Ranger a pat on the shoulder, "Good job. You can rest now."

"Mia…"

"Mentor's taking care of her," Emily promised her older brother. "She'll be fine."

Jayden turned to Antonio, "Mind helping Kevin to his room so he can rest?" the gold Ranger nodded and followed Jayden's request. He helped the blue Ranger to his feet and walked him into his and Mia's room for a nap. When Antonio and Kevin were gone Jayden looked to Mike and Emily.

"I assume the two of you want to go together," he said.

Emily nodded while Mike shot Jayden a surprise look.

"Jay, we have no idea where our stones are, though. Mia and Kevin got lucky with theirs. Besides, if we leave only you and Antonio can defend the city if there's an attack!"

"Kevin will be fine in a matter of hours," Jayden shrugged his shoulders. "We just defeated one Nighlok. We'll be fine when another one turns up."

"So where do you think we should start looking, then?" Mike asked with a heavy sigh. He didn't want to leave his team with only two fit Rangers, but it seemed the Stones were too important to wait.

"For now, trust your instincts. If Mentor Ji's friend figures something out you'll be the first to know."

"So, we're looking for a rock in the forest and on the ground?" Emily twirled her finger lazily in the air before getting up and leading the way to the door, "Whoo. I'm looking forward to this…"

"Just don't get hurt. The last thing we need is a third or fourth Ranger down, even if it's only for a few hours."

As Emily tried to slip on her shoes she lost balance and nearly fell backwards. Mike was fast enough to catch her in his arms, though. He shot Jayden a nervous look.

"Uh, we'll do our best, dude."


	4. The Forest Stone And The Bear

"I think I like the forest at home better," Emily muttered as she stuck close to Mike. They had been searching through the forest surrounding the Shiba House until Mentor Ji told them his friend had been picking up strange readings in the forest right outside Reefside. Mike and Emily had to travel to the new town and they were now searching the forest for what they hoped was the Forest Stone.

Emily didn't like this new forest. Not one bit. It was much thicker and darker than the forest back home and so much easier to get lost. She felt like there was someone watching her and Mike and no matter how deep they got, eyes were always watching them.

Mike felt her grip tighten around his hand and he chuckled. He wrapped his arm around her, "Em, relax. Nothing's going to happen."

"Tell that to Mia and Kevin."

"You're a worry-wart."

"Stuff happens in big, scary forests, Mike. Can we just find the rock and go home?"

"That's the plan," Mike chuckled. He noticed there was a small hole in the ground at the base of a tree. He pointed to it and started making his way closer. "Maybe it's hidden in here."

Emily grabbed the flashlight from Mike's backpack and approached the hole. Before sticking her hand inside she wanted to make sure the hole wasn't home to any dangerous animals. She shone the light into the hole and peeked inside.

She glanced up at Mike when she saw the hole was empty, "There's nothing."

"Not even a stone?" Mike asked her. She shook her head. Mike let out a sigh and helped her to her feet before looking around the forest again.

"You know," Emily said, "Mentor's friend only said he was picking up strange readings. That doesn't mean the Forest Stone is here."

"Are you saying we could be searching for anything?"

Emily nodded and then pointed to a big tree which seemed easy to climb. She made her way over and looked up. Mike was right behind her.

"Okay, I doubt my ancestor hid a stone up on a branch," he said.

"Maybe, but an animal could have found the stone and moved it. I just want to climb the tree to have a look around."

"Be careful," Mike cautioned Emily as she pulled herself up to the lowest branch and started her climb. He knew she could climb trees just as well as her folding Zord, but watching her get higher and higher only made him nervous. One slip and she would be making her way down.

He put his hand in his pocket and his fingers brushed the Samuraizer. At least he could try to catch her inside a leaf if she did slip and fall; anything to cushion her landing and keep her safe.

Fortunately, Emily didn't need anyone to catch her. She made it up high enough to have a good look around and then glanced down at Mike.

"Trees, trees, trees and more trees," she sighed. "There's nothing but trees."

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Mike asked her.

Emily began to shake her but stopped and chuckled when she saw branches twisting together to make a hand. It started waving at her so she waved back before looking down at Mike.

"I know it's you doing that," she laughed.

"Need a hand getting down?" Mike smirked and the branch hand stopped waving and held itself out. Emily giggled and jumped into the palm of the hand. It slowly and safely lowered her to the ground.

"Thanks," Emily smiled to the hand as she jumped off. It gave her a thumbs up before shrinking back inside the tree it grew from and the branches all returned to normal. Emily gave Mike a look, "You have a lot of fun with your symbol power, don't you?"

"What's the point of having powers if you can't have fun?"

"And you wonder why Kevin didn't like you at first," Emily rolled her eyes and giggled. Mike shrugged his shoulders.

"It all worked out for the best," he gestured deeper into the forest, "We should keep looking. The longer we stay out here, the more trouble we risk running into."

Mike and Emily walked in silence for a few moments as they scanned the forest for any signs of the Forest Stone. Anything unusual needed to be inspected. They couldn't leave until they found Mike's stone.

They checked under rocks, in bushes, in holes in the ground and in the trunks of trees. They searched high and low and found many rocks, but never the stone they were looking for.

Finally they stumbled upon the mouth of a cave. Emily tried to pull Mike away, fearful of what kind of animal would be hiding inside such a big cave. Mike needed to inspect it, though.

"We'll be fine, Em," he tried to reassure her by taking her hand and walking into the cave slowly.

"Someone always says that right before something bad happens," Emily muttered under her breath. She looked around the cave, keeping her eyes peeled for anything unusual and hoping they found the stone soon.

"We'll keep the entrance in sight," Mike promised Emily right before the bear Zord flew out from his pocket and flew as fast as possible deeper into the cave. Mike turned to his girlfriend and smiled at her. "He must have sensed it. We're close!"

"Thank goodness," Emily replied as she and Mike followed the miniature Zord into the cave. It wasn't too deep and they could still see the sunlight coming in from the entrance of the cave when they found a small chest sitting amongst the rocks. The bear Zord sat down on top of the chest and began bouncing excitedly. Mike smiled. He grabbed his Zord before lifting the top of the chest. Inside was a green rock and as soon as he touched it images of trees and leaves swirled around inside.

"This is it!" he turned to Emily and showed her the rock. His excitement was short lived though. As soon as he turned around he found himself staring at a bear. "H-holy s-s-shit…"

"What?" Emily asked, her voice echoing inside the cave, making it seem so much louder than it really was. Mike signalled for her to be quiet and slowly, so as not to startle the bear, he reached for her arm and pulled her in closer to him.

"Not a word," he mouthed to her. Emily furrowed her brow and when she noticed Mike was staring over her shoulder fearfully she turned around to see why.

"B-bear…" she stammered as Mike pulled her behind him so he was between her and the bear. He tried to back her up into the wall, hoping they could keep their distance from the bear and it would walk away.

His bear Zord had a different idea though. He jumped out of Mike's hand and landed on the ground. At only a few inches tall he tried to appear threatening, but the big black bear didn't appear to be scared. He was the predator and it seemed like Mike and Emily were prey.

But the bear Zord still tried to take on the big bear, only to be swatted to the side like a fly by the black bear's big paw. Emily jumped; startled as the bear Zord hit the side of the wall. Mike would have jumped too, but he found himself distracted by a marking on the bottom of the bear's paw.

"Emily, it's the Samurai emblem," Mike whispered over his shoulder to his girlfriend. Emily shook her head.

"No, Mike, that's a bear."

"I meant on the bottom of its paw."

"It's paw?" Emily turned to her boyfriend with wide eyes, "I'm not looking at its paw! I'm looking at its teeth!"

"Shh," Mike hushed her before she really startled and angered the bear. "It's one of us. I don't know why or how… but it's one of us."

"Then why does it look like Mia after I wake her up?" Emily asked. "It's going to eat us! Literally!"

"SHH!" Mike hushed her loudly this time as the bear's ear began to lay flat against its head and the big creature began to huff. Mike tried to speak calmly, hoping the bear would realise who they were and it would leave them be. "Em, you've got to stay calm. Trust me."

"I don't want to stay calm," Emily whispered back, keeping her eyes on the bear. She grabbed Mike's arm tightly, "Do something!"

"It's one of us," Mike said. "If I can just…"

"Reason with it?" Emily asked. "It's a bear, Mike! Don't reason with it."

"Just back up slowly," Mike instructed her. They both walked backwards slowly until Emily felt the end of the cave hitting her back. She gulped and looked up at Mike.

"There's no more backing up."

"The bear's getting closer," Mike he looked around the cave. There wasn't much he could use for protection. He couldn't run. The bear would outrun him and it was currently blocking their only exit. He was scared that if he tried to take on the bear, it would start an attack and he would really be in trouble.

The bear stood up on its back legs, making itself look so much bigger. Behind him, Mike felt Emily shrinking in fear. He reached one hand back and held hers.

"It's okay; he's just trying to smell us. We're okay."

The bear dropped back onto all four paws and huffed again. He stared at Mike and Emily as if trying to figure out who to attack first. Mike saw this and slowly reached into his pocket for his Samuraizer. If the bear did attack, he was going to need protection.

It was at that moment that his and Emily's Samuraizers beeped loudly and he, Emily and the bear were all startled by the noise. Mike felt himself jump and he knew Emily had jumped as well. The sudden movement was the last straw for the bear and it rushed forward. Mike was morphed in an instant and he tossed the Forest Stone to Emily for safe keeping.

"I'll distract him," he told her, using his Spin Sword to block a bite from the bear by forcing it to bite down on the blade of the sword. "Run out!"

Mike's bear Zord slammed it's little body into the big bear at that moment with so much force that it knocked the black bear into the side of the cave, clearing a path for Emily to run. She looked at Mike for a moment, hesitant about leaving him, but he promised her he would make it out. Emily held the Forest Stone tightly in her hand and ran out of the cave. She didn't get further than the entrance though. She couldn't bring herself to run too far away. She needed to get the Stone out of the cave and she knew Mike wanted her safe, but she refused to leave him alone. If he needed her, she wouldn't be too far.

Her Samuraizer beeped again. Furious, Emily answered it.

"What?" she shouted.

"Just checking in," Mentor said. "Is everything alright, we haven't heard from you in a while."

Emily growled and stuffed her Samuraizer away. They would have been much better off if Mentor hadn't started to worry about them.

She jumped in fear when she heard what sounded like the bear roaring. She hoped Mike and the bear Zord were winning the fight, but they were too far in the cave for her to see.

Just as Emily decided to hurry back into the cave, Mike's bear Zord flew out and grabbed her finger, trying to pull her back into the cave. Emily didn't need convincing as she ran after the bear Zord.

She skidded to a stop when she saw Mike petting the big black bear like it was his own pet. Even more surprising, Mike was no longer in his Ranger uniform. There he was, standing right next to a black bear, his hands, head, neck and every other part of his body only inches from the bear's mouth and claws, and he was giving the giant creature a good scratching behind the ears.

Mike smiled when he saw her and he tapped the top of the bear's head, "That's Emily, the yellow Ranger. Come say hi, Em."

"Mike…"

"It took a little convincing, but the big bear finally recognised me," Mike smiled. "I told you he was one of us."

"You're kidding me…"

"No way. Come," Mike waved her over. Emily shook her head but suddenly she felt something pushing against her back. It was the bear Zord, trying to get her closer to the big bear and his Master. Reluctantly, Emily made her way over. Mike took her hand and placed it on the bear's head.

"See," he said and he chuckled as the bear snuggled up to Emily, almost knocking her over due to his massive size and her small stature. "He couldn't see my Ranger suit very well because it's kind of dark, and he didn't recognise my scent. I think he thought I was trying to steal the Forest Stone."

"Like he's its guardian or something?" Emily asked. Mike nodded and gently kicked the bear's foot, asking it to raise its paw. The bear did and Emily saw the Samurai Ranger's emblem was marked on the bottom of his foot. She furrowed her brow.

"How did that get there?"

"I don't know," Mike shrugged. "But how many people know about the emblem? And how many people could get it marked onto the bottom of a bear's paw?"

"Good point," Emily nodded her head before turning to the bear Zord, who was now sitting comfortably on the bear's shoulders. He nuzzled the big bear like they were old friends. "And it is a bear, just like your Zord."

"Exactly."

"Can we leave now?" Emily asked and she took a step back when the bear started to nudge her gently after she took her hand away from his head.

"Sure," Mike chuckled. He looked the bear in the eye, "Stay safe, okay big guy? Take care of yourself. We'll keep the Forest Stone safe, I promise."

The bear moaned happily and cuddled its head into Mike's chest before turning to Emily. She took a few steps back so the bear had to follow her. When he finally reached he nudged her in the chest and Emily was pushed to the ground. The bear then fell to his stomach and dropped his big, heavy head onto her lap.

Mike laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry about that, Em. I told him you were sweet and gentle and I guess he likes you."

"He can like me less. I won't be offended," Emily tried to push the bear's head off her lap but it wouldn't move until Mike tapped the bear's butt with his hand. The bear got off Emily and moved away from the Rangers so they could leave.

"Be good," Mike told the bear as he and Emily walked out of the cave. When they were back in the forest and out of the cave completely, Emily turned to her boyfriend.

"So… does this mean you have a pet bear now?"

"I guess," Mike nodded. "I guess I've always had a pet bear. We'll ask Mentor about it after we find your stone."

"Pet or not, we're definitely not taking him home with us," Emily said.

"That would really drive Kevin and Mentor mad," Mike said with a smirk.


	5. Emily In The Barn

After finding their way out of the forest, the first thing Mike and Emily did was call the Shiba House on their Samuraizers. After their scare with the bear, they didn't want to run into any more trouble and the straighter the path to the Earth Stone, the less likely they were to encounter more danger.

"We got the Forest Stone," Mike said. "Any clue on where the Earth Stone might be hiding."

"Nothing yet. Sorry, Mike," Jayden's voice replied. Mike let out a sigh but felt slightly relieved. This either meant he and Emily could go home and rest before their next mission, or they had a little time to explore Reefside if they chose to do so. A spontaneous date was definitely not out of the question.

"How are Mia and Kevin?" Emily decided to ask. She and Mike had left before they could get any updates on their friends and now that things had slowed down a little bit she wanted to know if her Ranger siblings were okay.

"Kevin's fine. A little rest was all he needed. Mia…"

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Em," Jayden answered before his friend could panic. "Her right hand's a little torn up and she broke her left wrist. Mentor had to take her to the hospital to get it fixed up properly with surgery, but she will recover."

"The hospital?"

Mike put his arm on Emily's shoulder and squeezed it gently, "Relax, Em. The hospital's not always where people die. A lot of people get better too. Besides, have you ever met anyone who's died of a broken wrist?"

"Everything's fine over here," Jayden assured the yellow and green Rangers. "Don't worry about us. Focus on the Stones. Did the Forest Stone give you any trouble?"

Mike tossed the Stone in the air with a smirk, "The Stone was fine. It was the big bear that gave us a scare."

"A bear?" Antonio was suddenly on the line. His voice sounded very intrigued but also worried. "You guys ran into a bear?"

"It was a teddy bear," Mike said. He waved his hand at the Samuraizer and chuckled when he saw Emily shooting him a look. He wrapped his arm around her. "It really liked Emily."

"Are you guys okay?" Mentor Ji asked.

"We're fine. We'll tell you everything when we get home."

"Hopefully that'll be soon," Mentor said. "My friend's finally located the Earth Stone. It's somewhere in the countryside."

"Finally, somewhere I feel safe," Emily muttered.

"Actually, Emily… from what I can tell on the map, it's not too far from your home."

"Really?" Mike turned to Emily.

"You're on duty, Mike," Jayden reminded the green Ranger. "As fun as it would probably be to meet your girlfriend's parents you're going to have to stay focused. The no contact rule still applies."

"You just love to ruin things, huh," Mike sighed. "Just tell us where to find the rock and we'll get it."

-Samurai-

"Do you think they'll listen?" Antonio asked and glanced across the room at Jayden and Mentor Ji just after the conversation with Mike and Emily ended. Mentor nodded his head.

"They worry me the most, but I do still trust them."

"Besides, Emily wouldn't want to put her family in danger. I don't think we have to worry about them breaking any rules anytime soon," Jayden added.

"Alright, well, once they bring their rocks home we'll just have to look for the Fire Stone," Antonio said. "Hopefully it's here like all the others. Wouldn't it suck if there was only one rock on the other side of the world?"

"Wherever it is, we'll find it," Jayden looked down at the map. With Mike and Emily out on their search and the location of the Fire Stone still unknown, all he could do was wait for news from Mentor Ji's friend.

-Samurai-

After a long drive to her hometown, Emily was feeling much better. She was far away from Snuggles the Bear and back in an environment that suited her. She loved living at the Shiba House and she enjoyed going into the city, but there was nothing like being home in the country.

Mike was looking around in awe. The landscape was unlike anything he had seen before. It was calm and looked completely natural. He couldn't say the lands had been untouched because he knew the farms were constantly working the lands and planting and harvesting crops, but everything still felt so free and pure.

He looked down at his country girl, "So, any clue where this Earth Stone might be?"

"Hopefully the Ape can find it," Emily answered him and finally pulled her folded ape from her pocket. So far it was inactive. It was most likely tired from its long journey from Reefside. Just like Emily, it had gotten excited when it heard it would be going home and used up all it's energy.

"I'm sure she'll figure it out," Mike nodded his head. "Something tells me finding a rock in the earth is going to be a little harder than finding one in the water, the air or the forest."

"That's what I told Mia," Emily chuckled. "Not to mention the fact that when I touch it it's probably going to look like dirt."

"Like finding hay in a haystack," Mike smirked. Emily smiled at him before something caught her eyes. Mike saw them shinning for a quick moment before Emily took off running. When Mike looked ahead to see where she was running to he spotted an old barn. He took off after her, trying to catch up. "Em, wait up!"

Emily reached the barn door and slid it open. It made a loud creaking noise as the door opened and when the gap was big enough Emily slipped inside. Mike was right behind her.

"Em, where are we?" he asked her. Emily didn't answer and Mike was sure she hadn't heard him. She dove into a stack of hay and disappeared completely. Mike chuckled and walked up to the hay. He was sure he would find her. She didn't have that much room to hide and was fairly easy to spot amongst all the straw.

But he started tossing the hay aside and digging his way in but he couldn't find her. When he thought he was halfway through the pile he pulled his head out and scratched his skull.

"Okay… finding the Stone might be like finding Emily in a haystack," he muttered. He looked around the barn, hoping Emily was trying to surprise him from behind or something of the sort.

She was nowhere in sight.

"Em," he called her name, hoping she would hear him and answer him. Still, there was nothing. "Emily? C'mon, where are you? Where are we?"

Instead of getting an answer he found himself showered in hay and he looked up. He found Emily standing on top of a stack of crate, holding out her hands after dropping an armful of hay onto his head. He glared up at her playfully.

"Where did you come from?"

Emily climbed down from the crates and stood in front of Mike.

"I'm sneaky."

"I can see that."

"No you can't," Emily giggled, "That's why I'm sneaky."

"What is this place, Em?" Mike asked as he looked around. Now that he wasn't focused on finding his girlfriend he could actually get a good look at the inside of the barn. It was covered in several layers of dust and had very few tools inside. There was a rundown tractor sitting in the corner but even Mike could tell it hadn't been used in years.

"It's a barn, silly," Emily laughed. She took his hand and led him to the tractor. She jumped up on the seat and smiled down at him. "It's my barn."

"Wait… so you mean…?"

"We're not on my parents' farm if that's what you're going to ask," Emily shook her head sadly. "We're about a mile away from it, actually. Serena used to take me up here when we were kids. She found it before I was born and started taking me up here when I was old enough to walk. It's our home away from home. No parents, no animals, no rules. Sometimes, we used to bring our flutes and we would practice out here."

"Why would you need a secret barn?" Mike asked. "Don't you have one on your farm?"

"Yeah, but it's not exactly safe to play in. My dad's got so many machines and tools in there… I'm lucky I have all my fingers and toes."

"Good point," Mike chuckled.

"My dad actually lost a toe," Emily said while leaning forward and resting her arms on the tractor's steering wheel. "When you meet him he'll probably tell you all about it. It's one of his favourite stories."

"He lost a toe?"

"Just the baby toe," Emily shrugged. "It's no big deal. He always exaggerates the story, especially when Serena used to bring boys over. He said a good horror story would scare the boy straight."

"It probably will."

"If not, the shotgun's always loaded and my mom's a fully trained Samurai with the protective instincts of a bear," Emily laughed. "I'm surprised boys wanted to date Serena."

"Your parents seem harmless," Mike smirked. He climbed up behind the tractor and took a seat right behind Emily. He wrapped his arms around her as she turned her head to look at him.

"You really want to meet my parents, don't you?" she asked. "You seemed really excited when you found out we would be within walking distance of my farm."

"I've met your older sister," Mike laughed, "I survived that so I think I can make it through a quick dinner with your parents. Besides, the people who brought up someone as sweet as you can't be that scary."

Emily chuckled and shook her head, "Remember those words for when you actually do meet them."

Mike nodded and hugged his girlfriend. He kissed her neck and leaned into her back.

"It must be so hard knowing their only a mile away."

"I had further to walk to get to school," Emily sighed. "I feel like just ignoring Mentor Ji and Jayden and popping in for a visit. My parents won't mind, I know that… and what Mentor and Jayden don't know won't hurt them."

"Am I rubbing off on you?" Mike asked.

"It's just… Serena's in Japan and she'll be there until… I don't know when. I liked it better when she was with us. Now that she's gone, I feel like I did way back when we all first left home. Everything just feels new and scary. I keep thinking I'll see her in the kitchen in the morning or in my room at night and when I don't…"

"It's hard. I know. I miss my parents too. My mom, my dad. I have so much I want to tell them and I can't wait to show you off. I know they'll love you. They'll probably love you more than they love me."

"I doubt that," Emily laughed but Mike nodded him head.

"I'm sure of it."

Emily smiled at her boyfriend before sliding off the tractor and pulling out her ape Zord. She set it down on the ground and activated it. The ape looked up at her with tired eyes.

"I know it's been a long day, but we need to find the Stone," she reminded both the ape and Mike, who had gotten so carried away listening to Emily talking about her family he had forgotten they were on a mission. Emily continued to speak with the ape, "Is the Stone here? Can you feel it?"

The ape shook her head and turned to face the doors of the barn. Emily knew that meant she had to leave. She picked up her ape and stuffed it in her pocket before turning to Mike.

"It's not here. We need to keep looking."

Mike got off the tractor and wrapped his arms around Emily's waist. He pulled her in for a kiss.

"Soon, you'll see your family again, I promise."


	6. Be Careful What You Wish For

When Mia woke up it was morning. She found herself in a strange room but it didn't take long for her to remember she was in the hospital. She had hurt her wrist really badly when she fell off the cliff and she needed surgery to get everything back into place inside her wrist. She was a little sore and she couldn't move her left arm, but she was still happy to be alive.

A little while after waking up she saw her door open up. She thought it was a doctor and didn't want to have to deal with questions or concerns so she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. They didn't stay closed for long, though when she felt someone taking her right hand. She smiled when her eyes opened and she saw Kevin. He smiled back.

"How did you sleep?" he asked her.

"Great, all things considered," Mia chuckled. "How about you? How are you feeling after yesterday?"

"Like I'm the luckiest man alive," Kevin leaned forward and kissed his fiancée. "You've really got to stop scaring me like that. First the kidnapping and now you fall off a cliff."

"Almost fell," Mia corrected Kevin as she glanced down at her arm, "Not dying hurt like a bitch, but this was definitely the better option."

"I'll say," Kevin nodded. After helping her to sit up in her bed he grabbed a chair and took a seat next to her, promising not to leave until she was discharged.

"Did we find another Stone?" Mia asked, trying to keep a conversation going. Kevin nodded his head.

"Mike and Emily left soon after we got home. Apparently they had to wrestle a bear to get the Forest Stone."

"What?" Mia sat up completely straight and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Kevin smiled and gently pushed her back into her pillow.

"Relax. Antonio told me Mike was almost laughing when he told the story. I'm pretty sure both Mike and Emily are fine."

"They better be," Mia muttered. "I don't want to see anyone else coming into this hospital."

"I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. According to Mentor Ji's friend Emily's stone's been right under her nose her entire life. It's somewhere not too far from her parent's farm. They're looking for it now, and I don't think they'll run into much trouble out there."

"Mike and Emily won't run into trouble?" Mia couldn't help but chuckle. "Anyone ever tell you you're funny."

Kevin rolled his eyes, "Glad you're feeling better."

-Samurai-

Memories from the night before flooded Mike's brain as he laid with his eyes closed. He and Emily had searched the entire night for the Earth Stone but still hadn't been able to locate it or get anywhere near it. Her ape either couldn't sense when the Stone was near or couldn't remember where Emily's ancestor had hidden it.

But they had tried their hardest and Mike was determined to keep trying. Antonio needed these stones for the Black Box. The Rangers needed the Black Box to save the world. Mike was going to find the Earth Stone if it killed him.

He remembered feeling completely exhausted in the early hours of the morning. Emily had fallen on his back at about three in the morning (Mike had no idea; he didn't wear a watch), and he had continued the search with the ape Zord for another couple of hours after that. He couldn't remember finding a place to sleep or even deciding to sleep. Had he just passed out?

He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a white ceiling. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Surely nature didn't come with a ceiling in the morning.

He noticed he was in a room. It was rather bear except for a few pictures on the wall and a dresser on the other side of the room. Of course, there was a bed. He was sleeping in it. He looked at the bed curiously. He was sure he hadn't fallen asleep in a bed.

Pushing the blankets off, Mike crawled out of bed and made his way to the door. He opened it slowly and poked his head into the hallway. He looked both ways and saw there was no one in sight but he could smell bacon and eggs. He licked his lips and followed the scent to the kitchen.

The first thing he was a man sitting at the kitchen table hiding behind a newspaper. Mike couldn't really see the man very well. All he could see was the man's hands as they held up the newspaper. They seemed very strong and rough. Mike assumed he was still out in the country and this man had spent his entire life working hard on a farm.

He turned to look at the stove where a woman was preparing the bacon and eggs Mike had smelled from his room. He could see the side of her face and thought there was something familiar about her appearance. He couldn't recognise the dark hair, but he was sure he had seen her face before.

Finally she spotted him and smiled.

"You're up," she chimed happily and the man at the table, Mike assumed this was her husband, put down his paper and looked at Mike. The woman turned to her husband, "Well, Jack, don't just sit there. The poor boy must be hungry. Get him a plate, will you?"

"Yes, dear," the man, Jack, got up from his seat and Mike finally got a good look at the man. He was tall, even from a distance Mike felt like the man was towering over him. He had an impressive built, as well; one that would make Kevin or Jayden jealous. When he grabbed a plate from the cupboard, Mike was afraid it would shatter in his hands.

Jack pointed to his chair, "Have a seat."

Mike did as he was told. The woman by the stove sounded sweet, but Mike got the impression he didn't want to get on her husband's bad side. When he was seated at the table, Jack set the plate down in front of him and his wife filled the plate with bacon and eggs.

"I've been making this for breakfast almost every morning for months, now," the woman told him, starting up a conversation. She took a seat across the table from Mike while Jack sat down next to her. The woman smiled, "It was my eldest daughter's favourite."

"Thank you," Mike nodded his head, trying to be polite before he wolfed down his breakfast. He hadn't noticed he was hungry until the food was right in front of him. The woman laughed and rolled her eyes, again, reminding Mike of someone, while Jack remained expressionless.

When the food was gone from Mike's plate the woman took it from the table and set it in the sink before making her way to the stairs.

"I'll get you a fresh set of clothes from upstairs. Jack's probably got something. If not, I can make it work."

The woman left Mike alone with Jack. There was an awkward silence in the room. Mike didn't know what to say to the man who hadn't said much, and he didn't want to try and start a conversation, fearing his head would get bitten off.

Jack leaned forward in his chair, "What were you doing on my farm, boy?"

Realising Jack was likely mad at him for trespassing, Mike tried to play innocent, "I'm sorry, sir…"

"You shouldn't be out here. You shouldn't be anywhere near my farm."

"I had no idea… I'm not from here…"

"I can tell…"

"It's just… my girlfriend and I…" Mike stomach turned for two reasons. The first being he had no idea where Emily was and if she was even safe and the second was due to the fire that lit up in Jack's eyes. Mike saw his strong hands clench tightly into fists and he knew he was in trouble. He had no idea why, but he was in trouble.

"Excuse me?" Jack's tone was extremely angry, bordering insanely furious. "That was your girlfriend?"

Mike wanted to ask why Jack cared. It was none of his business who Mike dated. They didn't know each other. But Mike kept his mouth shut. He had been in trouble enough times to know this was the best time to shut up. All he did was nod his head.

That only seemed to make Jack angrier. He jumped up to his feet and stepped forward. Before he could get close to Mike, though, a streak of yellow rushed between the two men and stood before Jack.

"Dad! Stop!"

Mike recognised the voice and the blonde curls. The girl who had saved him from Jack's sudden anger was Emily. He let his jaw hit the floor though when it sunk in on how Emily stopped Jack from brutally attacking him.

"Dad?"

"You wanted to meet them," Emily shrugged, turning around and looking at Mike nervously, "Uh… Mike… meet my parents."

-Samurai-

"This is going to be hell…" Antonio muttered as he stared at the map on the table. He then looked up at Mentor Ji and Jayden, "Like literally… you're going to send us to the depths of hell for a rock."

"My friend picked up a signal in his hometown," Mentor Ji nodded. "There's an active volcano in San Angeles and apparently the Fire Stone's signal is coming from the inside."

"If you don't like us, you just have to say so, Mentor," Antonio muttered.

"Your Ranger suits will protect you from the heat," Mentor Ji assured Antonio. "You will just have to be careful not to fall into the lava on your way down."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Mentor, we can't go after the Fire Stone until Mike and Emily get back," Jayden shook his head. "There will be no one here to defend the city."

"I will call them back," Mentor said. "Unfortunately there's still no clear sign of where the Earth Stone is. We know for a fact that your Stone is inside this volcano. The search will be much quicker and I'm sure Mike and Emily could use a break, especially after their encounter with the bear."

"We can't just call them back! They could have found something. They could be on the right track. If we call them back…"

"Antonio," Mentor interrupted, "we need to find these Stones before anyone else does. The more we have in our hands the better."

"Mentor's right," Jayden sighed. "We need to get these Stones quickly, especially before the Nighlok find out. If we can find the Fire Stone no problem we should go after it."

"No problem? We're going to burn to death!" Antonio cried.

Jayden shook his head and looked to Mentor Ji, "Antonio and I will head to the volcano. We'll try to be quick. In the meantime, Mike and Emily aren't too far from the city and Kevin's fine to battle. Leave everyone where they are. If a Nighlok does turn up you'll call those three in first and give Antonio and me a heads up."

Mentor nodded his head and tapped the map on the table. It folded up and disappeared as Mentor walked out of the room. Jayden looked to his best friend.

"Ready for our mission?"

"If we're going to burn to a crisp, can I at least bring marshmallows?"

Jayden chuckled and rolled his eyes, "Sure, Antonio."


	7. The Fire Stone And Meeting The Parents

"Depths of hell," Antonio sang as he and Jayden climbed down the inside of the volcano, trying to reach the ledge on the bottom. "We're sinking into the depths of hell, la, la, la, la…"

"Antonio, now would be a really good time to shove your marshmallows into your mouth."

"It would be," Antonio looked down at Jayden and saw his best friend hopping onto the ledge, "but if I take my helmet off I'm going to burn in the depths of hell."

"Technically we're still high above ground level," Jayden reminded the gold Ranger. "Everyone else is closer to hell than we are."

"Are they going to get a weird visor tan?" Antonio pointed to the visor on his helmet. He could feel the heat coming through the visor and he was positive his skin was starting to burn. "I think this qualifies as hell, no matter how high above the ground we are."

"Just be happy there are no Nighlok in this hell," Jayden caught his friend as Antonio jumped down onto the ledge. He steadied the gold Ranger on his feet and pointed to a path that led deeper down the volcano, "We'll follow this until we find the Stone or we run out of path."

"Or burn to a crisp."

"I'll get you ice cream when we get out of here," Jayden said. "Just stop with the burning. Would I let you get burned?"

"You're the fire guy," Antonio nodded, "If anything, you'll be the one burning me."

"Just walk."

-Samurai-

Mike wanted to faint. That sounded like a good idea. If he fainted now, surely Jack, Emily's father, wouldn't hurt him. It wasn't nice to hurt a man who fainted.

But he couldn't faint. He was too terrified to faint. He knew if he fainted, not only would he be vulnerable to whatever Jack decided to do to him for dating his youngest daughter, but he would also be showing the big, strong and apparently very protective father that he was weak and pathetic.

Jack looked down at Emily, "Have you seen your mother yet, Emily?"

"No, dad, I…"

"She's got a lot of questions to ask you," Jack said. "Go talk to your mother, Emily."

"Can Mike come with me?"

"Mike is staying where I can see him."

"Dad!"

"Go find your mother, Emily!"

"I'm right here, Jack," Emily's mother called from the stairs. She was standing in the middle of the staircase watching the scene. She frowned at her husband, "Behave with our guest!"

"Guest?" Jack roared. "Do you know what he's done?"

"What did I do?" Mike asked in a panic. Emily turned to him and shook her head.

"Nothing," she looked back at her dad, "Dad, he didn't do anything!"

Emily's mother surveyed the room one more time before she knew what was happening. She knew her husband well enough to know what he was trying to hint at and her maternal instincts told her the rest of the story. Her eyes fell on Mike and she gave him a gentle look before turning to her husband.

"We discussed this three times, Jack," she said. "Four, actually. Once when I went away, once when we thought Serena would leave, once when Emily had to take her place and last night I brought it up."

"You did? When?" Jack asked. Emily's mother sighed.

"You obviously weren't listening to me," she walked the rest of the way down the stairs and placed a hand on Mike's shoulder. She pointed to the living room, "Why don't we all go have a seat and we'll figure this out, together."

She guided Mike into the other room. Jack went to follow but Emily grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"He loves me, dad."

"That's what they all say."

"Mike's not like all the other guys…"

"That's what young girls always think," Jack sighed. He placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "Emily, I was his age once. I know what he's thinking…"

"I know what he's thinking too, dad. He can think all he wants. Neither of us is ready for anything more than what we have. I really like him, dad. Please don't scare him."

Jack looked into his youngest daughter's pleading eyes and his heart melted. He let out a long, deep sigh and wrapped his arms around her, swallowing her in a hug.

"I'll have to see what he's made of," he told her, "Only the best for my baby girl."

Emily smiled. She stood on her toes and her father leaned forward. She kissed his cheek and skipped off into the living room to take a seat right next to Mike.

-Samurai-

"So, active… could this thing blow at any minute?" Antonio asked Jayden. He was sticking so close to the wall he was almost part of it. He didn't want to slip down into the depths of hell.

"We're safe, Antonio, I promise."

"No, you think we're safe," Antonio peeked his head over the ledge. "Bad things happen inside volcanoes."

"Says who?" Jayden chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at Antonio. The gold Ranger shrugged.

"Exactly. No one's ever lived to tell their tale."

"What happened to the fearless gold Ranger we accepted into our team? You know the one who wasn't afraid to put his life at risk in order to be a Samurai?"

"Gold melts when it's heated. I'm not fond of melting," Antonio grabbed his helmet in his hands, "In fact, is my helmet still the right shape? I feel like it's melting right off."

"Your helmet's fine," Jayden answered without looking back to actually check. Antonio rolled his eyes. Jayden was horrible at reassuring people they would be okay. He could have at least glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't lying.

He was about to comment on Jayden's comforting skills when the red Ranger suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Antonio stopped as well, worried something was wrong.

"Jay…"

"Shh!"

"What?"

"SHH!"

"Sorry…"

Jayden glared at his best friend through his helmet. Antonio caught the stare and ran his fingers over the spot where his mouth was, telling Jayden he would shut up.

With Antonio silenced, Jayden could finally focus. He walked over to the edge of the path and peered over. Antonio began to worry when he saw Jayden sticking his head out. He was terrified the red Ranger was going to lose his balance and fall. He worried doubled when Jayden stuck his head out further and tried looking under the path they were walking on.

"It's right there."

Antonio blinked, "What?"

Jayden pulled away from the ledge but pointed to it. He looked at Antonio, "The Stone's right under your feet."

"Under my…" Antonio lifted his feet off the ground before understanding what Jayden meant. He looked at his best friend, "How did you…?"

"I've been training since I was five," Jayden reminded the gold Ranger, "And unlike the others, I had nothing distracting me from my training. I'm more connected to my element and my folding Zord."

"So you can sense fire rocks?"

"Pretty much."

"And it's right under me?"

Jayden glanced over the ledge, "We have to figure out a way to get it. Without falling," he added that last part after a quick pause. Antonio nodded his head.

"Oh, without falling? Damn, I figured we would just jump, spread out wings, fly back up and, you know, grab the stone on our way."

Jayden couldn't help but laugh, "Samurai don't have wings."

"They don't? I quit then."

"Help me get the rock, first."

Antonio stepped closer to the edge and poked his head over, "Whatever plan we come up with will involve you possibly falling into the lava, I hope you realise that."

"I assumed as much."

"You owe me a double scoop ice cream when we're done."

"Single chocolate covered ice cream cone and a week off training."

"Deal," Antonio and Jayden shook hands and then they both glanced over the edge. Suddenly Antonio had an idea. He pulled out his Samuraizer and summoned the Octozord. With his buddy by his side he turned to face Jayden.

"How much do you weight?"

"What?"

"Octozord can only carry so much," Antonio shrugged. "You better not be fat."

-Samurai-

Jack leaned back in his wooden rocking chair, explaining the story of how he found Mike and Emily sleeping on the ground on his farm. He stared at Mike the entire time he spoke.

"I did my early morning rounds: Feeding the animals, checking the plants, looking to see if there was any more work that needed to be done. You two are lucky I stumbled upon you when I did."

"Any reason why you were both sleeping in the grass?" Emily's mother asked. Emily shrugged her shoulders and looked to Mike. The last thing she remembered before waking up in her own room was slowly falling asleep on Mike's back.

"We were up all night searching for a Stone," Mike answered. "I was carrying Emily when she fell asleep. I guess I didn't realise how tired I was. I must have just passed out right then and there. I had no idea I was walking on someone's land."

"Does Mentor Ji know where you are?" Jack asked Emily. Mike found it strange hearing someone he barely knew speaking of Mentor Ji. He knew Emily's father knew of the Samurai, just like his mother did, but it was still odd.

Emily nodded her head, "He knows… kind of. We promised him we would stay away from you, though. No contact."

"That's why we were surprised to see you," her mother said. "So, you're out here because of a rock?"

"Aren't their rocks in the city?" Jack asked. "Can't you find a rock there?"

"It's the Earth Stone," Mike answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Forest Stone to show Emily's parents. "It kind of looks like this but… I guess it would be yellow."

"That's neat," Emily's mother held her hand out. She wanted to hold the Stone and get a closer look at it. Mike gave it to her to examine.

"There are five Stones in total," Emily explained. "Apparently the first Red Ranger created them when he created the Black Box. If we're right, we won't be able to get the Black Box programmed without these Stones."

"The Black Box?"

"I'll explain everything next time, mom," Emily promised. "It's already bad enough we're seeing each other. I can't tell you what we know. The less you know the better."

"I understand," her mother handed the Stone back to Mike.

"So, if you're looking for the Earth Stone and you're here, does that mean you think it's in this area?" Jack asked. Mike and Emily both shrugged.

"Mentor Ji has a friend who searches for jewels and stuff for a living. He hasn't figured out an exact location, but he was getting some readings from this area," Emily nodded.

"And he was almost spot on with my Forest Stone," Mike added.

"If there was a special Stone hiding here we would know about it," Jack huffed. "There's no good reason for either of you to be snooping around here! You've put us in danger and you've put yourself in danger, Emily."

"I know, dad…"

"If anything happens to you…"

Mike didn't think it was possible, but Emily's lumberjack of a father began shedding tears. He excused himself from the room and left in a hurry before he embarrassed himself.

Emily's mother's eyes fell on her daughter and Mike.

"He worries every day," she whispered. She was about to get up to go after her husband but she heard Mike calling for her to stop. The green Ranger stood up.

"Um… if you don't mind… I'd like to talk to him."

Emily's mother nodded her head, "That would be nice. In the meantime, Emily, I have something to show you in the barn."

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Something that I think might help you."


	8. The Final Stones

"Are you comfortable?" Kevin asked Mia as he helped her sit on the stools in the common room. If he had his way she would have gone straight to bed, but Mia insisted she was fine and didn't need to relax. She was tired of lying in bed at the hospital and wanted to come home and get life as back to normal as comfortable.

"Yes, Kevin, I'm comfortable."

"How's your hand? Your wrist? Are they…?"

"Fine," Mia chuckled.

"If you need any help with anything…"

"I'll call you," Mia nodded. She took her fiancé's hand, "Kevin, you can stop worrying. I'm feeling fine. It's a broken wrist and a cut on my palm. It could have been a lot worse."

"Yeah," Kevin let out a deep breath before taking a seat next to Mia. He pulled her in close, happy she was finally home.

Mentor came into the room at that moment with a smile.

"Mia, it's good to see you home so soon. I take it everything went well?"

"Everything's fixed up and back into place," Mia nodded. She tapped her cast with her good hand, "Though I'll have to wear this for a little while."

"We'll make it work," Mentor smiled.

Kevin looked to the older man, "Mentor… the house is quiet. Where is everyone?"

"Mike and Emily are still searching for the Earth Stone," Mentor said, "and I had to send Antonio and Jayden to retrieve the Fire Stone. We picked up its signal over in San Angeles and we thought it was best to retrieve it as soon as possible."

"Where do we think it is?" Mia asked.

"Inside a volcano."

"Oh, great," Mia's eyes widened in shock for a moment, and then she rolled them. "Crispy Rangers."

"Antonio was not thrilled about his adventure either, however, as long as they do not fall into the volcano their suits will keep them from harm."

"You make not falling sound easy," Mia muttered. "I'm offended by that. Bad things happen when all you have to do is not fall."

"I am sure they will be fine."

-Samurai-

Jayden looked up at Octozord as he held on for dear life. He had to admire the little Zord's strength. He was being held up by a little Zord, no bigger than an average stuffed bear.

"Just don't do any sudden movements and you'll be fine," Antonio called from the safety of the ledge as he watched his best friend and Octozord hover over the abyss so Jayden could reach the Fire Stone.

"I think I can reach it," Jayden said. He repositioned his hands on Octozord before holding one out and stretching for the stone. It was wedged tightly inside the wall, under the ledge, almost as if the Ranger who hid it did not want anyone at all to ever find or retrieve it.

Finally he pulled it free from its rocky prison and held it tightly in his hand. He glanced back up at Octozord and nodded, letting the little squid know it was time for them to head back up to the ledge. Antonio had his arm outstretched, ready to help as soon as Jayden was within reach.

"Whatever you do, don't drop the Stone," Jayden said, holding out the Stone for Antonio to take. He grabbed it from his leader and tossed it behind him.

"It's just a rock. I think the value on your life is a little higher."

"You know what I mean," Jayden chuckled as Antonio and Octozord lifted him back up. When he was safely on the ledge, Octozord dropped down and shut off, exhausted from holding up Jayden's weight. Jayden smirked, "I'm not that heavy, am I?"

Antonio picked up the Fire Stone, "Let's just get this back home before anything happens."

-Samurai-

Mike found Emily's father sitting on the swinging bench on the front porch. He was looking out at the scenery but Mike could tell there was something on his mind that was keeping him from enjoying the view. He walked up to the bench but he was too afraid to sit down.

"You have a nice farm."

"One wrong move, boy, and you'll never see the light of day again."

"Understandable," Mike nodded. "Sir… um… can we talk?"

"Talk?" Jack scoffed. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Well… I have something to say to you and I think you might want to hear it."

"Go on, then. I haven't got all day."

"Emily's an amazing Samurai. You don't have to worry about her."

"She's not supposed to be a Samurai. She's my little girl. She was supposed to stay here on the farm where her mother and I could keep an eye on her."

"Nothing's going to happen to her," Mike promised. "She's very special, especially to me. And she's got every other Samurai on the team looking out for her. I heard her sneeze once and Mia, our pink Ranger, couldn't help checking up on her to see if she was okay."

"Mia? Does she have a boyfriend?" Jack shot Mike a look that told the green Ranger what he was trying to hint at. Mike sighed.

"It doesn't matter to me. Emily's the one I love. Sir, your daughter's the most important thing in my life. I know I'm probably not the best thing for her, especially in your eyes, but she's happy. That's all I care about."

"How long?" Jack asked. "How long have you and my daughter…"

"Several months," Mike shrugged, "but if you're asking about… I haven't touched her. I mean… I… I thought about it but… we're not ready. I know it. I would never ask Emily to do anything she wasn't ready to do."

"Emily does love you," Jack nodded with a heavy sigh. He glared at Mike, "You treat her right, boy. She deserves…"

"Nothing but the best, I know," Mike answered. "Sir, I every time I go into battle I fight for her. This is going to sound so cheesy but she's the reason why I fight."

"If she comes home crying, I don't care if you're responsible or not, you'll be the next meal I serve for dinner."

"Yes, sir, I…"

Mike trailed off as the ground under his feet shook. He had to grab onto the beams supporting the swinging bench to keep himself from falling. He could hear glasses, plates and other household items falling and smashing on the ground inside the house.

When the shaking stopped Mike and Jack locked eyes for a moment before they both looked around. Mike checked the inside of the house, hoping nothing too expensive had broken.

Meanwhile, Jack was leaning over the side of the porch and looking out at his farm.

"Aw, hell," he muttered and Mike turned to look at him.

"What?"

"There goes that damn barn again."

"The barn?" Mike asked, a hint of panic in his voice. Jack looked at the young man. He didn't know why Mike would care so much about his barn. He was about to ask what the barn meant to him when Mike took off, hoping over the railing. Jack followed him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"They're in the barn!" Mike called back and he nearly stumbled from running so fast. He kept running though until he reached the inside of the barn. He looked around at the mess the earthquake had caused. Support beams had fallen, allowing parts of the ceiling to come down. Shelves and storage spaces had fallen over or had come right off the wall. Farming tools had dropped as well, though they didn't seem to hit anything except for the ground, nor did they appear to be broken to Mike, though he was no expert.

At the very back of the barn, though, there was a pile of fallen debris that Mike was sure didn't belong there. Aside from the mess from the earthquake the barn seemed rather clean. It wouldn't make sense for that section of the barn to be piled up with old, broken planks of wood.

Some of the wood seemed to shift. Worried something, or someone, had gotten trapped underneath; Mike hurried over and started removing the wood. It didn't take him long to dig up Emily's mother. Jack came over and lifted her out. He pulled her into his arms, thankful she seemed okay.

Emily's mother wasn't okay, though. She pushed against her husband, trying to get him to let her go. Jack looked down at her.

"What happened?"

"Emily!" her mother turned to the pile of debris frantically. She wouldn't be okay until she knew her daughter had been pulled out safely. Jack felt his heart stop and all the colour drained from his face.

"No… no, no, no, no, no!" he shook his head but the rest of his body was frozen in terror.

Mike looked out at the debris. There was no way to spot Emily unless she started to move. He couldn't wait for her, though. He had to get her out now.

He ripped his folding Zord from his pocket and set it down on a piece of wood. The little bear came to life and knew what he had to do. He jumped into the mess and searched around. Mike waited for what felt like hours before he saw his little Zord pulling the ape out from the debris. Knowing the ape had to be near Emily, Mike rushed over to where the two Zord were and he started digging. He felt lucky when he saw his girlfriend wasn't buried too deep. He pulled her out and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh," he whispered gently when he heard Emily started to sob. He hated to hear her crying but right now it let him know she was alive. He scooped her up and carried her over to her parents. Jack and his wife took Emily from his arms and fell to their knees, holding their youngest daughter.

"She's a tough little thing," Mike smiled when he saw Emily really starting to come too. "She'll be fine."

"What happened?" Jack asked, looking to his wife for answers. He knew most earthquakes on the farm were usually caused by one of his girls.

His wife didn't answer. She looked to Mike, "Emily was holding a box…"

Mike didn't need to hear anymore. He walked back to the spot where he found Emily and noticed a box buried under some wood. He pulled it out and showed it to Emily's mother.

"This?"

"Take it," she told Mike. "Emily and I couldn't get it open, though we've both tried. It might have something you need."

Mike looked down at the box. He saw it had Emily's earth symbol painted carefully on the top and he knew whatever was inside had to be Samurai related. He looked back over at Emily's mother.

"It's been in my family for generations," she explained. "No one's been able to open it so we've never thought of taking it to the Shiba House. When my mother passed it on to me I was told it was very important I keep this safe. It could be the Stone you're looking for."

Mike held up the box and turned to the ape, "Does this ring a bell?"

The ape looked at Mike before folding back up. His bear Zord did the same. Mike sighed and grabbed them both before he forgot about them. As he tucked them away he heard his Samuraizer beep.

"At least there's no bear around," he muttered. He stepped aside before answering the call. While Mentor Ji spoke to him, asking for him and Emily to come home, Mike couldn't help but stare as Emily's parents checked her over and made sure she was okay. He smiled. He knew Emily's family was a close knit group, and it was nice to see just how loving they were. Jack wrapped his two girls up in his arms and Mike saw a look of relief on his face.

"MIKE!" Mentor Ji screamed into his ear. Mike shook his head and turned his attention back to the Samuraizer.

"Sorry, Mentor. We actually think we may have found the Stone. We'll be home in a few hours."

-Samurai-

"Dude!"

"Sorry," Jayden looked down with a laugh as Antonio had to stop climbing up the side of the mountain to wipe the dirt from his face. He glared at the red Ranger.

"Be careful where you put your feet. One more _accident_ like that and I'll decide against catching you if you slip and fall."

"I'm at the top," Jayden said. He lifted himself over the top of the volcano and flipped onto safe, solid ground. Antonio was right behind him and Jayden helped him up to safety. Both boys powered down and exchanged looks before they began to laugh.

"Okay, I admit… that was kind of fun."

"And we didn't burn to a crisp," Jayden smirked, nudging Antonio. "I told you to trust me."

"You've never mislead me before," Antonio chuckled and nodded. The smile fell slightly from Jayden's face, but Antonio didn't have time to notice. He reached over his shoulder and into the bag he was carrying. He pulled out a bag of marshmallows. He ripped the plastic bag open and took a marshmallow in his hand. "Now that we're not going to burn, it's time we roast!"

Jayden shook his head and grabbed Antonio's arm, "Mentor's waiting for us," he said with a slight chuckle as he began to pull Antonio away, "We should get home."

"Aw," Antonio sighed. He tossed his marshmallow into the mouth of the volcano. "You owe me ice cream and a marshmallow."

"I'll make it up to you," Jayden smirked. "I promise."


	9. All Five Stones Are Home

Mike stood by the front door waiting for his girlfriend to say her goodbyes to her family. It was unfortunate they couldn't stay longer. Even with Jack watching his every move, Mike still wanted to get to know Emily's parents. She spoke so highly of them whenever she mentioned them to Mike and the other Rangers, and it was clear to Mike that she meant just as much to her parents as they did to her.

Mike watched as Jack swallowed Emily in his arms. It still amazed him how big Emily's father was. He hadn't expected someone short or thin. Given Serena's height he figured their father would be about Kevin's height, maybe a little shorter and he knew Emily's father would be well built from working on a farm, but Jack was, for lack of a better word, huge.

While Emily left her father to say goodbye to her mother, Jack approached Mike. He held out a hand.

"Take good care of my baby girl," he said. Mike placed his hand in Jack's and nodded.

"I will, sir."

"You were right when you said Emily was special. We can't afford to lose her."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"The way you went after her in the barn," Jack said with a smile, "you knew what to do and she was waiting for you… she trusts you. Don't break that trust, boy. You'll have a Samurai sword and a bullet waiting for you if you do."

"As well as four other very angry roommates," Mike nodded his head. "You can trust me, sir."

"Dad, are you threatening Mike?" Emily asked sweetly as she walked up between the two boys and took Mike's hand in hers.

"I'm just putting him in his place, Emily."

"Oh!" Emily's mother called before rushing off into the kitchen. When she came back to the front door she held two Tupperware containers in her hand. She offered one to Mike and the other to Emily. "It's too bad you can't stay for dinner, but I had some in the fridge and I couldn't let you leave without…"

"Apple pie!" Emily cried out happily. She hugged the container to her chest.

"Make sure you eat it before you get back to the Shiba house," Emily mother smirked. "Ji can smell my apple pie from a mile away. He'll know you were here and he'll eat it all. We couldn't have that."

"I have a feeling it'll be gone before we leave the yard," Mike chuckled while looking down at Emily who was already opening the lid and peeking inside the container. He wrapped his arm around her and escorted her out the door. "C'mon, Em, we've got to get home."

Jack put his arm around his wife and squeezed her as they both watched the yellow and green Rangers walking away, "I like that boy."

"You hated his guts this morning," his wife chuckled and looked up at him. He smirked.

"On some level I still do. That is our baby he's touching."

"He reminds me of you."

His wife giggled and Jack's face went sour, "I hate that boy."

-Samurai-

Four Stones and a box sat on the table in the common room while six Rangers and Mentor Ji sat on the stools. Everyone exchanged looks, happy they were home together and happy they had gotten the Stones.

Antonio then turned to Emily, "Can you open the box? I don't think the Black Box will work if the stone's protected."

"Um… last time I tried to open the box I caused an earthquake," Emily said and she turned to Mike. He smirked knowingly at her. After getting home from her parents' place, Mike and Emily decided they wouldn't tell the other Rangers where they had found the Earth Stone. It would only get Emily into trouble and no punishment would be able to erase the past and keep her from going home. In any case, both Mike and Emily were sure her parents could take care of themselves. Her mother had fought off the Nighlok before as the yellow Ranger and, according to Mike; her father was bigger than most Nighlok and could scare any monsters off just by standing over them. "Someone else can try to open the box."

"For now, Antonio, I suggest we start to work on the Stones we know we have," Mentor pointed to the other four Stones. "This may take you a while, its best you get started now."

"But…"

"Hey, you've got a week off training to focus on the Black Box and the Stones," Jayden smirked. Antonio glared at his best friend.

"You sneaky bast…"

"All in all, I think this mission went perfectly," Mentor cut Antonio off. The gold Ranger crossed his arms over his chest. He glared at Jayden.

"This isn't over."

"Perfectly?" Kevin frowned to Mentor Ji, "Mia nearly falls to her death; Mike and Emily run into a bear and survive an earthquake and Jayden and Antonio had to dive down into an active volcano and you think this went perfectly."

"You are all alive."

"Bear-ly," Mike chuckled and Emily punched his shoulder.

"Speaking of bears," Mia turned to the two youngest Samurai, "What the hell happened?"

"You're worried about us?" Emily asked. She pointed to Mia's cast. "Apparently you almost died!"

"But I didn't run into a bear."

"The bear was my easiest challenge," Mike smirked and nudged Emily. "Getting the Earth Stone was a little scarier."

"Why?" Kevin asked. "Aside from the earthquake, I mean."

"I just wanted to roast marshmallows," Antonio pouted.

Mentor laughed at his Samurai. He rolled his eyes as he got up from his chair.

"You all seem to have a lot of catching up to do," he said as he left the room.

"Let's just say," Mike smirked to Kevin, "After the monster I faced, no Nighlok will ever scare me again."

Emily punched Mike in the chest, "He wasn't a monster."

"He was bigger than the bear! Besides, you didn't have to worry!"

"How did you get away from the bear?" Mia asked.

"Forget the bear, how did you almost fall? You can't tell me you almost died and not tell me how it happened!" Emily said to the pink Ranger.

Jayden shook his head and sighed, "No more separate missions for us."


End file.
